Aqueous gelcasting formulation for ceramic products

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to the manufacture of ceramic products by aqueous gelcasting. Exemplary ceramic products include sanitary ware, such as toilets and sinks. The process includes a slurrying step, a mixing step, a molding step involving aqueous gelcasting, a drying step, a glazing step, and a firing step.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/651,032, filed Mar. 26, 2020, which is a 371 U.S. National Phase ofInternational Application No. PCT/US2018/052621, filed Sep. 25, 2018,which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. Nos.62/563,345 and 62/563,350, filed Sep. 26, 2017, the disclosures of whichare hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention relates generally to ceramic products. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to ceramic products made byaqueous gelcasting.

Traditional ceramic products are made with clay as the primaryingredient. Clay is a highly variable material that is structured as aseries of flat plates and contains a significant amount ofchemically-bound water. Initially, the clay must be mixed with water andother ingredients to produce a moldable formulation. Later, the claymust be dried and fired to remove the added water, as well as thechemically-bound water that exists naturally in the clay. Clay'splate-like structure causes the initial water absorption and thesubsequent water release to be very long, slow, and expensive processes.Clay also exhibits significant shrinkage as the added water andchemically-bound water are released. Based on all of these factors,manufacturing a traditional ceramic product can take several days orweeks, is labor intensive, is expensive, and is variable.

It is desired to provide a more efficient, cost effective, robust,and/or predictable solution for manufacturing ceramic products,especially sanitary ware.

According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, aformulation is provided including at least one mineral oxide, at leastone alkali aluminosilicate mineral configured to serve as a fluxingagent to reduce the melting point of the formulation, and colloidalsilica.

In certain embodiments, the at least one mineral oxide includes silicaand alumina.

In certain embodiments, the at least one alkali aluminosilicate mineralincludes Feldspar or Nepheline Syenite.

In certain embodiments, the formulation is a slurry comprising water.The at least one mineral oxide may constitute about 10 wt. % to about 88wt. % of the slurry, or about 25 wt. % to about 45 wt. % of the slurry.The at least one alkali aluminosilicate mineral may constitute about 10wt. % to about 85 wt. % of the slurry, or about 50 wt. % to about 70 wt.% of the slurry. The at least one alkali aluminosilicate mineral mayconstitute a majority of the slurry. The colloidal silica may have asolid content of about 10 wt. % to about 50 wt. % and may constituteabout 2 wt. % to about 40 wt. % of the slurry. The formulation mayfurther include at least one additive of clay or clay mineralsconstituting about 10 wt. % or less of the slurry. The formulation mayfurther include at least one additive of an organic gum constitutingabout 2 wt. % of less of the slurry. A solid content of the slurry maybe about 70 wt. % or more.

In one particular embodiment, the formulation may include 17.8 wt. %silica, 17.4 wt. % alumina, 56.0 wt. % of the at least one alkalialuminosilicate mineral, and 8.8 wt. % of the colloidal silica, and thecolloidal silica may comprise 30 wt. % silica and 70 wt. % water.

In one particular embodiment, the formulation may include 12.9 wt. %silica, 17.4 wt. % alumina, 56.0 wt. % of the at least one alkalialuminosilicate mineral, and 13.7 wt. % of the colloidal silica, and thecolloidal silica may comprise 40 wt. % silica and 60 wt. % water.

In certain embodiments, the formulation is a ceramic product.

According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure,a formulation is provided having a solid portion, the formulationincluding silica, wherein at least a portion of the silica comprisescolloidal silica, alumina, wherein the alumina constitutes at least 15wt. % of the solid portion, and at least one fluxing agent.

In certain embodiments, the at least one fluxing agent is sourced froman alkali aluminosilicate mineral.

In certain embodiments, the alkali aluminosilicate mineral is Feldspar.

In certain embodiments, a portion of the silica and a portion of thealumina is sourced from the alkali aluminosilicate mineral.

In certain embodiments, the formulation is a slurry further comprising aliquid portion.

In certain embodiments, the formulation is a ceramic product.

According to yet another illustrative embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a formulation is provided including a majority of silica andalumina, wherein at least a portion of the silica comprises colloidalsilica, and a minority of at least one fluxing agent.

In certain embodiments, silica is a primary component and alumina is asecondary component.

In certain embodiments, the at least one fluxing agent comprises sodiumoxide, potassium oxide, and calcium oxide.

In certain embodiments, the formulation consists essentially of thesilica, the alumina, and the at least one fluxing agent.

In certain embodiments, the formulation is a ceramic product.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

A detailed description of the drawings particularly refers to theaccompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of an exemplary method of the present disclosureincluding a slurrying step, a mixing step, a molding step, a dryingstep, a glazing step, and a firing step;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary slurry formulation of thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 3A-3D are schematic views of the molding step of the presentdisclosure, where FIG. 3A shows introducing a mixture into a mold, FIG.3B shows solidifying the mixture in the mold to form a solid article,FIG. 3C shows ejecting the solid article from the mold, and FIG. 3Dshows the molded article; and

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary drying step of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of the invention described herein are not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.Rather, the embodiments selected for description have been chosen toenable one skilled in the art to practice the invention.

The present disclosure relates to the manufacture of ceramic products byaqueous gelcasting. Exemplary ceramic products include consumer productslike sanitary ware (e.g., toilets, sinks) and dinner ware. Other ceramicproducts may be used in electrical, automotive, aerospace, and otherindustries.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, an exemplary method 100 is disclosed formanufacturing a ceramic product. The illustrative method 100 includes aslurrying step 102, a mixing step 104, a molding step 106, a drying step108, a glazing step 110, and a firing step 112. Each step of method 100is described further below.

The slurrying step 102 of method 100 involves producing a slurryformulation.

As shown in FIG. 2, an illustrative slurry formulation 200 includes oneor more refined mineral oxides 202, one or more fluxing agents 204, andone or more bonding agents, such as colloidal silica 206. The slurryformulation 200 may also contain one or more optional additives 208.Each of these ingredients is described further below.

The refined mineral oxides 202 in the slurry formulation 200 are used toproduce a crystalline or non-crystalline (e.g., glass) network structurein the resulting ceramic product having a desired stiffness andporosity. With respect to porosity, for example, the ceramic product mayexhibit less than 0.5% water absorption to qualify as a vitreous productaccording to ASME A112.19.2 or less than 15% water absorption to qualifyas a non-vitreous product according to ASME A112.19.2, but other waterabsorption levels are also contemplated. Exemplary mineral oxides 202for use in the slurry formulation 200 include silica (SiO2), which isrelatively inexpensive, and/or alumina (Al₂O₃), which is relativelyexpensive but enhances durability of the resulting product. The mineraloxides 202 may be provided in granular or powder form to facilitatemixing, such as fumed silica. The concentration of mineral oxides 202 inthe slurry formulation 200 may be as low as about 10 wt. %, about 20 wt.%, about 30 wt. %, or about 40 wt. %, and as high as about 50 wt. %,about 60 wt. %, about 70 wt. %, about 80 wt. %, or about 88 wt. %. Forexample, in certain embodiments, the concentration of mineral oxides 202in the slurry formulation 200 may be between about 25 wt. % and about 45wt. %. Lower concentrations of mineral oxides 202 may lead to lowerstrength products, lower stiffness resulting in more deflection, lowerbulk density, higher porosity, longer processing times for removingwater, higher potential shrinkage during processing, and lower materialcosts, while higher concentrations of mineral oxides 202 may lead tohigher strength products, higher bulk density, lower porosity, shorterprocessing times for removing water, lower potential shrinkage duringprocessing, and higher material costs.

The fluxing agents 204 are used to decrease the melting point of theresulting slurry formulation 200, specifically the network-formingsilica in the slurry formulation 200. Exemplary fluxing agents 204include oxides of potassium (K), sodium (Na), and calcium (Ca). Thefluxing agents 204 may be provided in granular or powder form tofacilitate mixing.

Rather than using pure forms of potassium oxide (K2O), sodium oxide(Na2O), and calcium oxide (CaO), for example, the fluxing agents 204 ofthe present disclosure may be sourced from one or more refined alkalialuminosilicate minerals of Formula I below:

M_(w)Al_(x)Si_(y)O_(z)  (I)

wherein:

M is an alkali metal (e.g., K, Na) or an alkaline earth metal (e.g.,Ca).

Exemplary alkali aluminosilicate minerals include Feldspar(KAlSi₃O₈—NaAlSi₃O₈—CaAl₂Si₂O₈) and Nepheline Syenite ((Na,K)AlSiO₄),for example. Advantageously, such alkali aluminosilicate minerals aremore readily available and less expensive than pure fluxing oxides.Also, in addition to providing the desired fluxing oxides, the alkalialuminosilicate minerals may also contribute additional quantities ofthe elements found in the above-described mineral oxides 202 (e.g.,silicon, aluminum). The concentration of alkali aluminosilicate mineralsas fluxing agents 204 in the slurry formulation 200 may be as low asabout 10 wt. %, about 20 wt. %, about 30 wt. %, or about 40 wt. %, andas high as about 50 wt. %, about 60 wt. %, about 70 wt. %, about 80 wt.%, or about 85 wt. %. For example, in certain embodiments, theconcentration of alkali aluminosilicate minerals in the slurryformulation 200 may be about 50 wt. % to about 70 wt. %, whichconstitutes a majority of the slurry formulation 200 and makes thefluxing agents 204 the primary ingredient (i.e., the ingredient presentin the largest amount) in the slurry formulation 200. Lowerconcentrations of fluxing agents 204 may lead to higher material costsand higher firing temperatures in the subsequent firing step 112 (FIG.1), while higher concentrations of fluxing agents 204 may lead to lowermaterial costs and lower firing temperatures in the subsequent firingstep 112 (FIG. 1).

The colloidal silica (i.e., sol-gel synthesized silica) 206 in theslurry formulation 200 comprises nanoparticles of silica (SiO2)suspended in water. The solid content of the colloidal silica 206 mayvary. For example, the solid content of the colloidal silica 206 may beabout 10 wt. %, about 20 wt. %, about 30 wt. %, about 40 wt. %, or about50 wt. %, with water making up the balance. The colloidal silica 206 mayserve as a bonding agent throughout method 100 (FIG. 1). During both theinitial forming step 102 and the mixing step 104 (FIG. 1), which isdescribed further below, the colloidal silica 206 may be used to holdthe other granular ingredients in suspension. During the subsequentmolding step 106 (FIG. 1), which is also described further below, thecolloidal silica 206 may be used to bind the other ingredients togetherby forming a gel network or scaffold that remains even after the wateris removed. The colloidal silica 206 is typically a basic solution(i.e., pH>7), but neutral solutions (pH=7) and acidic solutions (i.e.,pH<7) are also available. The concentration of colloidal silica 206 inthe slurry formulation 200 may be as low as about 2 wt. %, about 5 wt.%, about 10 wt. %, about 15 wt. %, or about 20 wt. %, and as high asabout 25 wt. %, about 30 wt. %, about 35 wt. %, or about 40 wt. %, forexample. Lower concentrations of colloidal silica 206 may lead to lowermaterial costs and lower green strength before the firing step 112 (FIG.1), while higher concentrations of colloidal silica 206 may lead tohigher material costs and higher green strength before the firing step112 (FIG. 1).

One optional additive 208 for use in the slurry formulation 200 includesclay or clay minerals (e.g., kaolinite, bentonite). Rather than relyingon clay as a primary ingredient and bonding agent like traditionalceramic products, small amounts of clay or clay minerals may be used asa suspension agent in the slurry formulation 200. The concentration ofclay or clay mineral additives 208 in the slurry formulation 200 may beas low as about 0 wt. %, about 2 wt. %, or about 4 wt. %, and as high asabout 6 wt. %, about 8 wt. %, or about 10 wt. %, for example. Comparedto traditional ceramic products, the slurry formulation 200 of thepresent disclosure may be considered entirely or substantiallyclay-free.

Other optional additives 208 include mixing agents, suspension agents,and/or dispensing agents. One such additive 208 is organic gum, such ascarboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, acacia gum, ormethylcellulose. The concentration of organic gum additives 208 in theslurry formulation 200 may be about 0 wt. %, about 1 wt. %, or about 2wt. %, for example.

Still other optional additives 208 include organic de-foamers andsurfactants such as polyvinyl alcohol or polyvinyl pyrrolidone. Suchadditives 208 may promote bubble formation to remove air from the slurryformulation 200.

Still other optional additives 208 include dispersants, includinganionic dispersants such as polyacryline acid, cationic dispersants suchas poly(ethyleneimine), and/or comb polymers such as poly(ethyleneoxide)-poly(ethyleneimine).

The solid particles in the slurry formulation 200 may include themineral oxides 202, the fluxing agents 204, the silica from thecolloidal silica 206, and any solid additives 208. The liquid in theslurry formulation 200 may include added water and/or the water from thecolloidal silica 206 and any other liquid-containing ingredients. Thesolid content of the slurry formulation 200 may be about 70 wt. %, about80 wt. %, about 90 wt. %, or more. The solid content of the slurryformulation 200 may be optimized between a maximum solid content, inwhich the corresponding liquid content would be too low and the slurryformulation 200 would be too thick for injection into a mold during thesubsequent molding step 108, and a minimum solid content, in which thecorresponding liquid content would be too high and cause undesirableshrinkage and/or deformation when the liquid is removed during thesubsequent drying step 108 and firing step 112.

Exemplary slurry formulations 200 are set forth in Table 1 below, butthese slurry formulations 200 may vary based on the trends describedabove to achieve a final ceramic product having desired properties.

TABLE 1 Sample Sample Concentration Concentration Concentration Range AB Slurry Ingredients (wt. %) (wt. %) (wt. %) Mineral Oxides 202 SilicaBalance 17.8 12.9 Alumina 10-70 17.4 17.4 Fluxing agent 204 Alkali 10-8556.0 56.0 aluminosilicate minerals (e.g., Feldspar) Colloidal silica 206 2-40  8.8 13.7 (30 wt. % SiO₂/ (40 wt. % SiO₂/ 70 wt. % water) 60 wt. %water) Additives 208  0-12 — — Total 100 100.0  100.0 

The solid ingredients in Table 1 above may include: the silica (SiO₂)and alumina (Al₂O₃) mineral oxides 202, the Feldspar(KAlSi₃O₈—NaAlSi₃O₈—CaAl₂Si₂O₈) fluxing agent 204, and the additionalsilica (SiO₂) from the colloidal silica 206. The composition of thesesolid ingredients, taken together, is set forth in Table 2 below. Incertain embodiments of slurry formulation 200, the mineral oxides (e.g.,silica and alumina) are the majority solid components, and the fluxingoxides (e.g., sodium oxide, potassium oxide, and calcium oxide) are theminority solid components. In the “Sample Concentration” embodiment ofTable 2, in particular, silica is the primary solid component, aluminais the secondary solid component, and the fluxing oxides are thetertiary solid component.

TABLE 2 Concentration Sample Range Concentration Composition (wt. %)(wt. %) Silica Balance 65.0 Alumina 15-75 27.8 Sodium Oxide 1-9 3.6Potassium Oxide 1-5 2.3 Calcium Oxide 0.25-2   0.8 Total 100 100.0

Slurry formulation 200 may consist of or consist essentially of theingredients listed in Table 1 and Table 2 above and may lack certainingredients found in other ceramic materials. For example, slurryformulation 200 may lack lithium oxide, barium oxide, zirconium oxide,cerium oxide or cerium fluoride, iron oxide, and/or magnesium oxide.

Returning to FIG. 1, the slurry formulation from step 102 is mixedduring the mixing step 104 of method 100. With respect to the slurryformulation 200 of FIG. 2, for example, the mixing step 104 may involveevenly distributing the solid particles in the slurry formulation200—namely the mineral oxides 202, the fluxing agents 204, the silicafrom the colloidal silica 206, and any solid additives 208—throughoutthe liquid in the slurry formulation 200—namely, any added water and/orthe water from the colloidal silica 206 and any other liquid-containingingredients. Care should be taken to minimize air entrainment in theslurry formulation 200 during the mixing step 104. A double planetary,low shear mixer has been shown to minimize such air entrainment. Themixing step 104 may be terminated when adequate mixing is achieved,which may be measured using a Hegman gauge, for example. Awell-dispersed and deagglomerated mixture typically has a value of 6 orbetter using a Hegman gauge. The mixing step 104 of the presentdisclosure may be terminated after less than an hour and in some casesafter several minutes. Traditional clay ceramics, by contrast, areusually mixed for several days.

Next, the mixture from step 104 is molded into a desired shape duringthe molding step 106 of method 100. The molding step 106 may involve:introducing the mixture 300 into a mold 310, as shown in FIG. 3A;solidifying the mixture 300 in the mold 310 to form a solid article 320,as shown in FIG. 3B; and ejecting the solid article 320 from the mold310, as shown in FIG. 3C, to form a molded article 325, as shown in FIG.3D.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the introducing process may involve injecting themixture 300 into the mold 310 under pressure (e.g., 1-2 psi), such asusing a manual or hydraulic piston 302. Other methods for introducingthe mixture 300 into the mold 310 may also be used, such as pouring themixture 300 into the mold 310. Because the mixture 300 may have a lowviscosity and may be capable of flowing easily into the mold 310, anyseams 312 in the mold 310 should be adequately sealed to preventleakage. Care should be taken to minimize air entrapment in the mold310, especially in any blind pockets of the mold 310. One or more airvents 314 may be provided in the mold 310 to allow air to escape fromthe mold 310.

As shown next in FIG. 3B, the solidifying process may involvedestabilizing the colloidal silica in the mixture 300 to form a gelnetwork or scaffold of siloxane bonds that maintain the shape of thesolid article 320. Thus, the solidifying process may also be referred toherein as a gelcasting or gelling process.

An exemplary method for destabilizing the colloidal silica is freezegelling. Freeze gelling involves freezing the water in the mixture 300and forming ice crystals, which may expand and physically force thesilica particles together to form the gel network. Advantageously, thefreezing may occur directly in the mold 310 by placing the entire mold310 in a freezer 330, which is considered a vessel configured to exposeits contents, directly and/or indirectly, to a low-temperature coolingagent 332 capable of freezing the contents. In certain embodiments, thecooling agent 332 is directed across the mold 310, as shown in FIG. 3B.In a traditional freezer 330, for example, the cooling agent 332 mayinclude low-temperature air that is blown across a refrigerant (e.g.,norflurane, freon) in an evaporator coil. However, as discussed furtherbelow, other freezer 330 arrangements and low-temperature or cryogeniccooling agents 332 are also contemplated, such as dry ice or liquidnitrogen.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, thefreezing process occurs at a fast rate, especially as the geometriccomplexity of the mold 310 increases. When the freezing occurs at a fastrate, the resulting ice crystals will be smaller and more homogeneous,and the resulting gel network will also be more homogeneous. If thefreezing occurred at a slow rate, by contrast, the resulting icecrystals would be larger (e.g., snowflake type structures), and theresulting gel network may be variegated with large grain boundaries andcracks. The freezing rate may be increased by subjecting the mold 310 tovery low temperatures in the freezer 330. For example, the freezing ratemay be increased by introducing a cryogenic cooling agent 332, such asdry ice or liquid nitrogen, across the mold 310 in the freezer 330, asshown in FIG. 3B. The freezing rate may also be increased by increasingthe thermal conductivity of the mold 310, such as by constructing themold 310 with thin and/or highly thermally conductive walls, such asmetallic (e.g., aluminum, copper alloy) walls, rather than thick and/orthermally insulating walls, such as plastic walls. In certainembodiments, the freezing process is performed in 30 minutes, 20minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, or less.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, thefreezing process occurs in a predetermined direction toward the air vent314 in the mold 310. This controlled freezing direction may be achievedby directing the cooling agent 332 toward a surface of the mold 310 thatopposes the air vent 314 in the mold 310. In the illustrated embodimentof FIG. 3B, for example, the cooling agent 332 is directed toward alower surface 316 of the mold 310 opposing the air vent 314, across themold 318, and toward the upper surface 318 of the mold 310 including theair vent 314 such that the article 320 freezes in a predetermineddirection from the lower surface 316 toward the air vent 314 in theupper surface 318. Because the water in the article 320 expands involume as it freezes, air and any excess mixture 300 in the mold 310 maybe displaced toward the air vent 314 and allowed to escape through theair vent 314 during the freezing process. Allowing such materials toescape from the mold 310 rather than being trapped in the mold 310 mayminimize internal stresses in the article 320, thereby minimizing stresscracks in the article 320. Also, allowing such materials to escape fromthe mold 310 may provide a visual indication that the freezing processis completed. The cooling agent 332 may be exhausted from the freezer330 or recirculated through the freezer 330, as shown in FIG. 3B.

Another available method for destabilizing the colloidal silica ischemical gelling. Chemical gelling involves adding a gelling agent tothe mixture 300 to change the pH and reduce surface charges of themixture 300 in a manner that discourages chemical repulsion of thesilica particles and encourages gelling of the silica particles.Suitable gelling agents include hydrochloric acid (HCl), citric acid(C₆H₈O₇), magnesium carbonate (MgCO₃), and sodium chloride (NaCl) salts,for example. Care should be taken to adequately blend the gelling agentinto the mixture 300 without breaking the gel network as it forms.

Yet another available method for destabilizing the colloidal silica isdrying. Drying involves heating the mixture 300 and evaporating thewater from the mixture 300 to physically force the remaining silicaparticles together to form the gel network. Advantageously, the dryingmay occur directly in the mold 310 by placing the entire mold 310 in aheater (not shown). The mold 310 may require several openings to allowthe evaporating water to escape.

Still other available methods for destabilizing the colloidal silicainclude: traditional gelcasting by adding a monomer and an initiatorinto the mixture 300 and heating the mixture 300 to polymerize andcross-link the gel network; chemical gelcasting by adding ionic polymersor particles to bridge the charged silica particles into the gelnetwork; and slip-casting by removing water from the mixture 300, suchas using a plaster mold, to form the gel network.

As shown next in FIG. 3C, the solid article 320 is ejected from the mold310. If the solid article 320 was formed by freeze gelling, the solidarticle 320 may remain frozen during the ejection process. The ejectionprocess may involve opening the mold 310 and applying an ejection forceF to push the solid article 320 out of the mold 310. The ejection forceF may be achieved by directing ejector pins and/or compressed airagainst the solid article 320, for example.

As shown next in FIG. 3D, the solid article 320 is removed from the mold310 as a molded article 325. The illustrative molded article 325 is inthe shape of a sink basin having a bowl 326 and a rim 328, but it isunderstood that the molded article 325 may have any desired shape orpurpose, such a toilet, another sanitary ware product, a dinner wareproduct, or any other product. The molded article 325 may be coupled toone or more other solid articles to form a larger and/or more complexproduct. The mixture 300 that was used to form the molded article 325may also be used as an adhesive to couple the various solid articlestogether. The smooth finish of the mold 310 (FIG. 3B) may produce asimilarly smooth molded article 325, so the molded article 325 mayrequire minimal secondary finishing after being removed from the mold310. In certain embodiments, the secondary finishing may be limited toparting lines on the molded article 325 imparted by the seams 312 of themold 310 (FIG. 3A).

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the molded article 325 from the molding step106 is dried during the drying step 108 of method 100 to remove waterfrom the molded article 325. It is within the scope of the presentdisclosure for the drying step 108 to at least partially overlap themolding step 106. For example, the drying step 108 may be at leastpartially performed with the solid article 320 remaining inside the mold310 (FIG. 3B). The drying step 108 should be controlled to minimizeshrinking and cracking as the water is removed from the molded article325. If the molded article 325 from the molding step 106 was formed byfreeze gelling, the drying step 108 may be a multi-stage process asshown in FIG. 4, which illustratively includes a pre-thawing normalizingstage 400, a thawing stage 402, and an evaporating stage 404. Each stage400, 402, 404 of the drying step 108 is described further below.

The pre-thawing normalizing stage 400 of the drying step 108 involvesplacing the still-frozen molded article 325 in a temperature-controlled,optionally high-airflow environment to bring the molded article 325 to asubstantially uniform frozen state having a substantially uniformtemperature near a thawing/freezing point of water (e.g., near about 32°F.). The molded article 325 may enter the normalizing stage 400 in anon-uniform frozen state having a non-uniform temperature. In oneembodiment, the molded article 325 enters the normalizing stage 400 fromthe freezing process of FIG. 3B with a temperature gradient caused bythe directional nature of the freezing process. For example, the area ofthe molded article 325 that was positioned close to the cooling agent332 in FIG. 3B (e.g., the rim 328 of FIG. 3D) may be colder than thearea of the molded article 325 that was positioned away from the coolingagent 332 and close to the vent 314 in FIG. 3B (e.g., the bowl 326 ofFIG. 3D). In another embodiment, thinner areas of the molded article 325may be colder than thicker areas of the molded article 325, regardlessof whether the freezing process was directional in nature. Thetemperature of the normalizing stage 400 may be just below thethawing/freezing point of water, such as about 20° F. to about 30° F.,more specifically about 25° F. to about 30° F., more specifically about28° F. The duration of the normalizing stage 400 may be sufficient tominimize any temperature differences and achieve the substantiallyuniform temperature throughout the molded article 325, such as about 15minutes to about 60 minutes, more specifically about 30 minutes. Ofcourse, the temperature and duration of the normalizing stage 400 mayvary based on the size and shape of the molded article 325, the designof the mold 310, and the freezing process conditions. It is also withinthe scope of the present disclosure to eliminate the normalizing stage400 altogether if the molded article 325 already has a sufficientlyuniform temperature.

The thawing stage 402 of the drying step 108 involves heating the moldedarticle 325 in a temperature-controlled, optionally high-airflowenvironment from a substantially uniform frozen state near the thawingpoint to a thawed state. The temperature of the thawing stage 402 may beabove the thawing/freezing point of water, such as about 40° F., about50° F., about 60° F., about 70° F., or more. During the thawing stage402, the water in the molded article 325 decreases in volume. Withoutthe prior normalizing stage 400, the molded article 325 could transitionfrom the freezing process to the thawing stage 402 in a non-uniformmanner (e.g., with a temperature gradient caused by directionalfreezing, with different temperatures in areas of different thickness,with different temperatures caused by inconsistent warming afterfreezing), causing the thawing process and its related dimensionalchanges to occur inconsistently. Such inconsistent thawing could createinternal stresses in the molded article 325, which lead to stress cracksin the molded article 325. However, by subjecting the molded article 325to the prior normalizing stage 400, the molded article 325 enters thethawing stage 402 with a substantially uniform temperature already nearthe thawing point of water, allowing the thawing process and its relateddimensional changes to occur quickly and uniformly. In one example, themolded article 325 is thawed quickly and uniformly in the thawing stage402 from the normalized temperature of about 28° F. to the thawing pointof about 32° F. Such uniform thawing minimizes internal stresses in themolded article 325 and reduces the formation of stress cracks in themolded article 325.

The evaporating stage 404 of the drying step 108 involves furtherheating the molded article 325 in a temperature-controlled, optionallyhigh-airflow environment from the thawed state to a heated statesufficient to evaporate water. Water may be more easily and evenlyliberated from the gel-based articles of the present disclosure thanfrom traditional ceramic articles. Therefore, the evaporating stage 404of the drying step 108 may be performed at higher temperatures andhigher speeds than traditional drying processes, including temperaturesabove the boiling point of water. For example, the evaporating stage 404of the drying step 108 may be performed at temperatures of about 200° F.to about 500° F., whereas traditional drying processes are typicallyperformed at temperatures below 150° F. It is also within the scope ofthe present disclosure to perform the evaporating stage 404 over anextended period of time and at a lower temperature (e.g., less thanabout 200° F., less than about 150° F., less than about 100° F., orabout 70° F.).

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, thenormalizing stage 400, the thawing stage 402, and/or the evaporatingstage 404 of the drying step 108 may be performed in a controlled,low-humidity environment. In one embodiment, at least the thawing stage402, if applicable, is performed in the low-humidity environment. Thelow-humidity environment may be a vacuum having 0% humidity.

The dried product from the drying step 108 may be very strong. Incertain embodiments, the dried product may be capable of withstandingmachining and robust handling, even before the final firing step 112.

In step 110 of method 100, the dried product from step 108 is glazed.The glazing step 110 of the present disclosure may be similar to atraditional glazing process. The glaze formulation may include one ormore glass-formers such as silica, one or more fluxing agents, and oneor more optional additives. Advantageously, the dried product from step108 may be an attractive white color, so the need for adding colorantsto an otherwise clear glaze formulation may be reduced or eliminated. Incertain embodiments, the glaze formulation may be applied to the driedproduct in aqueous form, such as by dipping the product into the glaze,brushing the glaze onto the product, spraying the glaze onto theproduct, or pouring the glaze onto the product. In other embodiments,the glaze formulation may be applied to the dried product in dry orpowder form.

In step 112 of method 100, the glazed product from step 110 is fired.The firing step 112 of the present disclosure may be similar to atraditional firing process. However, the firing step 112 of the presentdisclosure may be performed at a faster rate than a traditional firingprocess and with less regard to outgassing, because the ceramic productsof the present disclosure lack significant amounts of chemically-boundwater and organics that are associated with traditional clay ceramicproducts. The firing step 112 may convert the applied glaze to animpervious, vitreous coating that is fused to the underlying ceramicproduct, similar to traditional Vitreous china (VC) products.

The final ceramic product may have substantially the same composition asthe initial slurry formulation 200, except the final ceramic productlacks the water present in the initial slurry formulation 200. Forexample, the composition of the final ceramic product may be set forthin Table 1 (not including water) or Table 2 above. In certainembodiments of the final ceramic product, the mineral oxides (e.g.,silica and alumina) are majority components, and the fluxing oxides(e.g., sodium oxide, potassium oxide, and calcium oxide) are minoritysolid components.

Although the invention has been described in detail with reference tocertain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist withinthe spirt and scope of the invention as described and defined in thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A ceramic product having a formulationcomprising: at least one mineral oxide; at least one alkalialuminosilicate mineral configured to serve as a fluxing agent to reducethe melting point of the formulation; and colloidal silica.
 2. Theceramic product of claim 1, wherein the at least one mineral oxide ofthe formulation includes silica and alumina.
 3. The ceramic product ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one alkali aluminosilicate mineral of theformulation includes Feldspar or Nepheline Syenite.
 4. The ceramicproduct of claim 1, wherein the formulation is a slurry comprisingwater.
 5. The ceramic product of claim 4, wherein the at least onemineral oxide of the formulation constitutes about 10 wt. % to about 88wt. % of the slurry.
 6. A formulation having a solid portion, theformulation comprising: silica, wherein at least a portion of the silicacomprises colloidal silica; alumina, wherein the alumina constitutes atleast 15 wt. % of the solid portion; and at least one fluxing agent. 7.The formulation of claim 6, wherein the at least one fluxing agent issourced from an alkali aluminosilicate mineral.
 8. The formulation ofclaim 7, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate mineral is Feldspar.
 9. Theformulation of claim 7, wherein a portion of the silica and a portion ofthe alumina is sourced from the alkali aluminosilicate mineral.
 10. Theformulation of claim 6, wherein the formulation is a slurry furthercomprising a liquid portion.
 11. A ceramic product having theformulation of claim
 6. 12. A formulation comprising: a majority ofsilica and alumina, wherein at least a portion of the silica comprisescolloidal silica; and a minority of at least one fluxing agent.
 13. Theformulation of claim 12, wherein silica is a primary component andalumina is a secondary component.
 14. The formulation of claim 12,wherein the at least one fluxing agent comprises sodium oxide, potassiumoxide, and calcium oxide.
 15. The formulation of claim 12, wherein theformulation consists essentially of the silica, the alumina, and the atleast one fluxing agent.
 16. A ceramic product having the formulation ofclaim
 12. 17. A molded formulation comprising: at least one mineraloxide constituting about 10 wt. % to about 88 wt. % of the formulation;at least one alkali aluminosilicate mineral, separate from the at leastone mineral oxide, configured to serve as a fluxing agent to reduce themelting point of the formulation; colloidal silica; and water, whereinthe molded formulation is gelled in a mold and configured to maintain asolid shape in the mold.
 18. The molded formulation of claim 17, whereinthe formulation is chemically gelled or freeze gelled.
 19. A moldedobject formed from the molded formulation of claim 17, wherein themolded object is removed from the mold and dried to remove at least aportion of the water from the molded formulation.